Lines & Markers: Universal Design in Power BI

In the final installment (for now) of the Universal Design in Power BI YouTube series, Greg Trzeciak dives into the importance of using lines and markers to enhance accessibility and storytelling in Power BI reports. This session emphasizes how small formatting changes can make a big difference for users with visual impairments or color vision deficiencies.

Why Universal Design Matters

Universal Design ensures that Power BI reports are accessible to everyone, regardless of their visual or cognitive abilities. Greg encourages viewers to explore the full on-demand course for a deeper dive into accessibility best practices.

Best Practices for Using Markers

Markers are visual cues that help users distinguish between data series in line charts. Greg outlines how to enable and customize markers:

1. Go to the Format pane (paintbrush icon) in Power BI.
2. Under Visuals, find and enable the Markers option.
3. Choose from a variety of shapes: circles, squares, diamonds, triangles, etc.
4. Adjust the size for better visibility—Greg recommends 5 to 6.5 points.

He notes that simpler shapes like circles and squares are easier to see, especially when enlarged. Avoid relying solely on color to differentiate data; shapes provide an additional layer of clarity.

Best Practices for Using Lines

Line styles can also be customized to improve readability:

• Access the Lines section in the Format pane.
• Choose from styles like solid, dashed, or dotted.
• Adjust line width and add bevels or smoothing for visual appeal.

Greg demonstrates how using different line styles helps users distinguish between data series without relying on color alone. This is especially helpful for users with color blindness.

Combining Lines and Markers

Greg recommends using both lines and markers together for maximum clarity. For example:

• Sales Amount: Solid line with circle markers
• Tax Amount: Dashed line with square markers
• Total Product Cost: Dotted line with diamond markers

This combination allows users to quickly identify and compare data series, even in complex visuals with multiple lines.

Highlighting Key Data

To tell a compelling data story, Greg suggests using line styles to highlight specific series. For instance, keeping one line solid while others are dashed or dotted draws attention to the most important metric.

Final Thoughts

Greg wraps up by reinforcing the value of Universal Design—not just for compliance, but for creating better, more inclusive Power BI reports. He encourages viewers to explore the full on-demand course for more in-depth strategies and examples.

“The name of the game is Universal Design—and that means designing for everybody. At the end of the day, we end up with better Power BI reports.” – Greg Trzeciak

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